Temperature drops 6° in Mumbai after 3 days of sweltering heat

MUMBAI: After three consecutive days of hot weather, the city experienced a sharp drop in temperatures on Wednesday, with thunder and rain making a comeback. The maximum temperature fell nearly six degrees, down to 30.6°C from the 36.4°C recorded on Tuesday, bringing relief to Mumbaikars after a recent spell of above-normal heat.
On Wednesday, the downpour started in areas like Panvel and Kamothe, with more parts of Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) receiving rainfall later in the evening.Palghar, Virar, and Vasai witnessed loud thunder activity as well.
IMD's Santacruz observatory recorded maximum temperatures of 30.6 degrees, which was 2.5 degrees below normal, while the Colaba observatory recorded day temperatures of 33°C, which was 0.8 degrees above normal. In comparison, a day ago, the Colaba and Santacruz observatories had recorded maximum temperatures of 33.4 degrees and 36.4 degrees, respectively.
There was a drop of around four degrees between the day and night temperatures in the case of IMD's Santacruz observatory on Wednesday. Minimum temperature recorded by the Santacruz observatory was 26.3 °C, which was 1.4 degrees above normal, while the Colaba observatory recorded 25.9°C, which was 0.5 degrees above normal.
Weather enthusiast Athreya Shetty said such thunderstorms are common before monsoon withdrawal. "In addition to the heat and humidity building up over the last few days, there is a low-pressure area in the south Arabian Sea off the Karnataka coast, which will be intensifying into a depression, possibly even further. A trough is also extending from this system to north Konkan, which has helped infuse additional moisture and increase instability in the atmosphere, making conditions conducive for thunderstorm clouds to form," said Shetty.
Another independent forecaster, Abhijit Modak, said such activity would continue till Oct 12, Dusshera. "With a low pressure formed over the Arabian Sea, there has been moisture incursion from easterly winds," he said.